My ‘caesarian’ baby 24/07/2012

I always wondered why the birth of a book is compared to the birth of a baby. Probably its because the author undergoes similar birth pangs while bringing out her book which is a culmination of hard labour and toil. The comparison does not end there because there are similarities after the birth of both. During the cradling ceremony of the new born, family and friends are invited, so are they when a new book is launched. You hear people commenting about the looks of the baby and in the second instance about the book’s cover and contents, more at a superficial level because people wouldn’t have read the book. Again, a book published by a publisher is different from a book published by the author herself/himself. In the first the author doesn’t have to bother either about proof reading or spending huge amounts in its making (infact he/she earns a royalty, a bonus) unlike in the latter. The first perhaps can be compared to a normal delivery of the baby and the second to a baby born through a c-section.

I think siblings can also be compared to books as no two of them are alike (for instance my two siblings and me). For that matter even identical twins too are not alike in their nature, habits or behavior. I could say the same about my three ‘children’, divergent in genres and treatment of subjects: Humour/satire; journalistic writing; Travel experiences. However my first two children have something in common in that they are ‘normal deliveries’, but the third is delivered through a c-section and it is the most precious of all for two reasons apart from the cost incurred: 3 E’S OF TRAVEL comprises nearly 120 photographs I have taken with my non digital Kodak and Canon cameras (which have become museum pieces in this digital age) and my Coffee Table book was launched on my dear father’s 100th Birth Anniversary.

n.meera raghavendra rao

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3 thoughts on “My ‘caesarian’ baby 24/07/2012”

Prof. V.N.K.Kumar

I liked the comparison between the publication of dead wood books and delivery of babies. We can easily get a glimpse of your creativity from this.